The Crossroads of Destiny, and The Path They Took
by PlotIsInTheAir
Summary: Avatar Aang succumbed to his wounds caused by Azula in the Coup of Ba Sing Se. He mananages to awaken, long enough, so that at the very least, the Avatar Cycle can continue. And, like it always has, it does once more... (Rated for an overall darker theme, be advised)


_(I do not own Avatar: The last Airbender, I only claim to own any original characters seen here, as well as the plot line for this story. I hope you enjoy!)_

 **Somewhere deep in the South Pole**

The wind roared outside, but within the covered igloo, all was hushed, yet the urgency in the air surrounding was clear. A seal fat lantern was beginning to flicker out, until a weathered hand reached out to reignite the flame with a stick. "Can't have darkness at this time." The older female owner of the hand muttered. "Bad omen, for there to be creation in the dark."

A breathless sigh sounded from the other occupant of the igloo. "Mother, please." A young woman, breathless and hair loose and free around her head like a dark halo, muttered lowly. "I don't wish to hear of omens, not now." She exhaled sharply, tugging a otter-penguin pillow closer to her, nails digging into the soft fur. The elderly woman scoffed, but moved closer, placing a gentle hand on her daughter's swollen belly. "I can feel the life inside, growing more restless," she hummed, the corners of her mouth curving upwards. "Soon, I believe. Before dawn."

Her daughter huffed in response, which quickly evolved into a muffled squeak of pain, quickly silenced. Frowning, the elder advised her child, "Jakkanna, Don't hold back your screams. Omens say-" Jakkanna groaned, "Your omens are outdated and untrue, mother." The elder continued regardless, "Omens say, that if a mother screams freely during childbirth, her sons will be powerful in battle, and her daughters equally invincible in their own childbirth. It is good to scream."

Jakkanna shifted her grip on the pillow, eyes dark. "Mother, only gods know how many children were brought into a world of screams, in the last hundred years." She ignored the way her mother stiffened, squeezing her eyes shut. "My children will not be born into a world of screams and pain… Too many already have been." ". ..Yes, you are correct." Her mother stated, grabbing a towel and dipping it into a basin of warmed water. "But the world's war is out there. We are here, safe, protected…" She placed the towel on her daughter's brow, before cupping her cheek with care. "The Fire Nation's war will not reach us here."

Jakkanna went to counter her mother's words, when she hissed sharply, tears appearing at the corner of her dark eyes as she gasped in pain. Her mother placed a hand on her belly once more, nodding once. "It's time." Jakkanna tightened her grip on her pillow. "Mother…" The elder hushed her, teaching for another towel. "Harua?" She hissed out, using her mother's first name urgently. Her mother ignored her, soaking a clean towel in water. "Mommy?" Jakkanna whispered, grabbing her mother's wrist. Harua turned to meet her daughter's dark, midnight blue eyes, nearly identical to her own. The elderly woman took her daughter's hand gently, "Hush. Focus now, my girl. It shall be long before the sun arises."

Outside, hours passed and the wind whistled on. Light was restricted to the inner walls of the igloo, as well as the noises of the new mother. As the night wore on and on, the world outside saw neither of the two women… Until the sun arose. Then, all was quiet, both outside, and inside. Harua stepped out, eyes dull, with a small, oh so small bundle in her arms. As the sun rose higher, she walked further and further away from the igloo, gripping the unmoving bundle in shaking arms.

Soon, after the igloo was a mere speck behind her, she made it to the coast, where ice met equally chilling water. She knelt at the water's edge, looking down at the unmoving bundle in her arms. "Oh child of my daughter…" Harua gently touched the top of the unmoving child's head, covered properly, even if there was no life in it to feel the chill."You were not meant for the world of the living, it seems." She murmured softly, eyes dry yet those blue orbs were so, so sad. "The spirits shall protect you, little one," she gently leaned down to touch her forehead to that of her stillborn grandchild. "Until the day, that those who love you meet you once more in the Spirit World, watch over us, and know that you will always be loved."

She pulled away, and solemnly placed the bundle into the water. "May the moon guide you to your home, in the land of the Spirits." She breathed, and only turned away when that precious bundle fell down into the deep blue of the South Pole ocean. Then, bones and heart aching, she stood and walked stiffly home, her mind already turning to the thought of her child.

An adult her daughter may be, but Harua did not see an adult when she left the igloo they called home. No, she saw a sad, scared child, in desperate need of comfort, and now that the most important thing was done, it was her duty as a mother to comfort her child.

Soon, her feet led her back to her home, and she entered quietly, scowling into the darkness. "You let the candle burn out." She said to the still lump on the bed, whose back was to her. Jakkanna was silent, and Harua sighed, feeling her way to the lantern. Her daughter laid there, quiet. "... Boy or girl?" She asked quietly, and Harua shook her head as she relit the light with flint and stone. "I never check. You cannot dwell on what could have been," A spark lit up the room. "You must focus on what you do have." Harua turned to her child, before lowering her eyes to the bundle Jakkanna held in her arms, which was squirming slightly with life.

Jakkanna watched her child fidget, obviously stressed from the ordeal of its own birth. "It's a she." She said softly, as her mother say next to her. "She's so quiet though… Barely wails." Harua nodded, watching her daughter carefully. "Her spirit is in mourning. She spent nine full moons in the womb with another… now that other is gone, and she must live life without them." Harua reached out, touching Jakkanna shoulder tenderly. "She will grow strong. This makes her strong, she gains the strength and spirit that her twin left behind." Jakkanna looked up to her mother's kind face, eyes hopeful. "She will be strong? Stronger than I?"

Harua nodded, small smile. "She will become powerful. I know this, the omens are clear." Jakkanna finally smiled at that, a small smile, but it was a sign that the new mother's spirit was not broken. Harua looked down at her grandchild, smiling softly. She had the signature dark Water Tribe skin, and her brown hair was only a few shades away from being black. She could already picture those dark blue eyes behind those closed lids, and with a round, lively face, she had no doubt her grandaughter would grow to be a lovely woman, and no doubt leave a trail of broken hearts behind her. She raised her gaze to get own daughter, smiling at the powerful love Jakkanna had in her eyes. "What is her name?" Harua asked gently, face warm. Jakkanna raised her gaze to her mother, smiling softly. "Ekari. Her name is Ekari."

Harua smiled, before gently taking her grandchild in her arms as she saw her daughters eyes fill with exhaustion. "You should rest, Jakkanna." The young woman only nodded, laying down and closing her eyes. Harua smiled, before looking down at young Ekari. "You will grow strong, yes?" She asked the nonverbal infant, whose only response was to whimper like a tired seal pup, wiggling uselessly in her fur blankets.

* * *

 _"So… that's me. Or her. Us? I mean…"_

 _"Yes Aang… This is the newest incarnation of the Avatar. Ekari of the Southern Water Tribe."_

 _"... She's really cute. And small, and… too young. How… how can she beat the Fire Lord?"_

 _"Aang, She will not have the ability to walk by the time summer arrives… She will not defeat Ozai before the comet arrives."_

 _"B-but… No! I failed, the world is doomed… W-we can't let the Fire Nation win! What about the Earth Kingdom, my friends, a-and Katara… I-I failed them all! Avatar Roku, can't we do something?!"_

 _"Aang, there is nothing we can do. We must simply have patience and faith."_

 _"But that's what the world did for me… Now I'm gone, the Fire Nation is going to win the war, there's no more AIRBENDERS...There's no hope… It's over."_

 _"Look into the face of young Ekari, Aang. There is hope for the world we left behind, and it lies within that baby. You MUST believe in that. There is now a part of you and I in that girl, as well as countless of Avatars before her. With all of us combined, I doubt very much that she can fail. We WILL succeed, and truly bring peace to our world, through her."_

 _"...Alright. If you say so."_

 _"I believe so. You should as well."_

 _"...Alright… Ekari, grow strong, eat your veggies… and please, do what I couldn't do. Save our world."_

* * *

 _ **Name Pronunciations, if you were curious:**_

 _ **Jakkanna:** Jack-con-ah_

 _ **Harua:**_ _Ha-roo-ah_

 _ **Ekari:**_ _Ee-ka-ree_


End file.
